International Trader - Asia

An Investor's Recipe for Success in Japan

Investing in "owner-operator" stocks can pay off nicely.

Google "Japanese housewife" and you get a page of X-rated links. That flagrant disrespect contrasts with the attitude toward women evident at Cookpad, Japan's largest recipe-sharing outfit.

Cookpad came public in 2009, 12 years after it was founded by Akimitsu Sano. Members submit recipes and vote on which are the best. It has become a huge hit; more than 80% of Japanese women in their 20s and 30s visit the site. "You get positive reinforcement. If you're a housewife in Japan, you don't get a lot of...